| If it turns out Jalen Brunson is badly injured, there's not much more to say than: The Knicks are cooked.
Good job, good effort, fun season, let's reconvene in September.
Brunson, the Knicks' All-Star guard and talisman, exited in the first minute Sunday night in Cleveland due to a left knee injury and did not return.
He took a knee-to-knee knock while going up for a free-throw-line jumper on the Knicks' first possession, grimaced in mid-air and collapsed in a heap. He tried to limp off, but his foot looked off-kilter and he needed help leaving the floor.
The Knicks termed it "left knee soreness," at first labeling Brunson questionable to return and then ruling him out for the remainder of the game.
After the game, head coach Tom Thibodeau called it a "contusion," and said X-rays were negative. Brunson told teammates he'd be fine. Good news.
You can't exhale until after the MRI. We know that.
But if Brunson really is OK, relatively speaking, and misses just a couple of days or maybe a couple of weeks?
 Miles McBride went the distance and hit several big shot in relief of Jalen Brunson in the Knicks' win over the Cavaliers.
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Then hoo boy, was Sunday's 107-98 win over the Cavaliers another stunning example of what makes these Knicks so likable and so dangerous for the playoffs if — when? — they get back to full strength.
They were down four starters. They were rolling seven guys, or eight guys if you count Alec Burks, which is debatable at this point. On the road against a rival that's been the second-best team in the league in 2024.*
And, with Thibodeau rasping "hustle!" in every huddle, they fought like hell.
Josh Hart hung a pugilist's triple-double: 13 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists. With two blocks, two steals and one tug on Donovan Mitchell's bling after he nailed an uncut-onions 3-pointer in front of the Cavs bench with 1:36 left (*yes, Mitchell was in street clothes, as the sticklers insist we mention).
Donte DiVincenzo, accepting the responsibility of a go-to scorer, gave them 28 points. Bojan Bogdanovic was good for 20.
Miles McBride checked in when Brunson left and never checked out — he ran for 47:13. In the forty-seventh of those minutes, he hit the dagger 3.
Up and down the makeshift lineup, the Knicks are giving honest efforts, punching above their weights and paychecks (remember: Precious Achiuwa, Burks and McBride are meant to be their ninth, 10th and 11th men, in some order). It's impossible not to think these battle tests will serve them well at the business end of the spring.
 Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau continues to keep his team steady amid a brutal rash of injuries.
USA TODAY Sports
Because before Sunday's game, Thibodeau encouragingly revealed the Knicks' three sidelined frontcourt starters — Julius Randle, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson — had made the trip to Cleveland as "the next step" in their recoveries "now that they're doing more on the court." Randle and Anunoby are the closest to returning.
The trick is staying afloat until then, "afloat" here meaning in one of the top six spots in the hyper-competitive Eastern Conference or very close to it. They're just one game in the loss column out of seventh place.
The Knicks' next four games are at home (Hawks, Magic, 76ers twice), followed by a four-game trip out West (Trail Blazers, Kings, Warriors, Nuggets). Would you take 3-5?
There's no use lingering on the bad Brunson outcome. Then it would be curtains.
In the seemingly more likely version where he's absent for a bit and then is among the first-stringers to come back and recalibrate before the tournament, the Knicks keep showing why they're going to be a tough, tough out.
Today's back pages  The final editions of the back page featured the Knicks' eventful win.
New York Post
 The back page in the early editions showcased the record-setting Caitlin Clark.
New York Post
The Caitlin Clark show The irony is, you don't need numbers to appreciate Caitlin Clark.
To understand what makes Clark a veritable sports phenomenon, what makes the Iowa senior guard unique among women's college basketball players, college basketball players, women's basketball players — choose your own set, any or all will suffice — you only need to watch.
Which, thankfully, as the calendar turns to March, more and more people are doing.
It's the majestic, make-you-cackle parabolas of her deep 3-point shots, the brilliance of her passing and court vision, the basic eyeball-drawing magnetism of that swaggering No. 22 in the white-black-and-gold jersey, on television screens and in arenas routinely filled to the rafters. There's never been anyone like her.
The never-before-seen stats just provide a shorthand.
The records just give us a chance to stop and recognize an athlete perfectly of her time and perfect for this time — when we're collectively rethinking what women's sports could and should be.
 Caitlin Clark wants to hear the crowd after hitting a game-sealing 3-pointer in Iowa's home win over Ohio State.
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
On Wednesday, Clark set the all-time women's major college points record, eclipsing Lynette Woodard's mark from before the sport was governed by the NCAA.
On Sunday, in No. 6 Iowa's senior-day win Sunday over No. 2 Ohio State, Clark became the leading scorer in Division I history, surpassing Pete Maravich's 54-year-old record, established under different rules.
Clark now has 3,685 points — with as many as nine Big Ten tournament and NCAA Tournament games left.
"It's just beautiful to watch," Woodard said. "Every walk of life, everybody knows Caitlin Clark, the University of Iowa. And what she's done, they deserve it."
Gus Johnson called it "American history" on the Fox broadcast in his overexcited bark, and — in the sense that sports is culture and culture is history — he's not wrong.
When Clark was two points away from breaking the record, she pulled up from the logo, because of course she did. It's the showmanship and the audacity, a hardwood version of eminent domain, that makes her so watchable.
She missed. The record-setting points came from the free-throw line, courtesy of a technical foul she drew by getting under her opponents' skin.
 New York Post
Does she have the arrogance to shove Ohio State's Jacy Sheldon for having the nerve to try to force a tie-up or the humility to answer a question at halftime about her new scoring record by saying, "Pretty cool. A good half for us. I think we can do a little better job on defense and clean it up a little bit."
Is she splashing like Steph Curry or bringing her Midwest legend to the national consciousness like a latter-day Larry Bird? Is she more Cheryl Miller or Diana Taurasi or Maya Moore or Sabrina Ionescu or some evolution of all of the above?
The answer is yes.
"I think her mindset of how she prepares — which you can see on the court — but also the way she carries herself, the joy, the big picture she sees, I think it's contagious," Moore said. "That's probably my favorite aspect of her game, the genuine joy she has playing with her teammates."
Clark is for everyone. She inspires young girls, sure. Boys, too. She delights older folks. The actor Jason Sudeikis and the rapper Travis Scott and Dr. Asitha Jayawardena, who wrote this week in a viral op-ed addressed to Clark, "Thank you for being an electrifying, transcendent athlete who is actively changing the world of sport. But mostly, thank you for helping me be a better dad." Hoops nuts and casual fans can agree.
 Caitlin Clark signs autographs on the afternoon she became the all-time leading scorer in Division I basketball.
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
The question is whether Clark can continue to reach a wider and wider audience at the next level. Clark declared this past week for the 2024 WNBA draft, foregoing her final, bonus year of college eligibility, and she will be drafted No. 1 by the Indiana Fever, barring asteroid strike.
The early indications are good. A quick perusal of ticket marketplace Vivid Seats on Sunday showed that about 30 bucks will get you into Barclays Center in May to see the Liberty host the Seattle Storm or Chicago Sky or Phoenix Mercury or Washington Mystics.
The cheapest seat for Liberty-Fever on May 18 is going for $147.
Play the kids? Not yet The future of the Mets will have to wait.
The Mets demoted 10 players to minor league camp on Sunday, including a handful of the organization's most alluring prospects: infielders Luisangel Acuña and Jett Williams, outfielder Drew Gilbert and right-handers Mike Vasil and Christian Scott.
"It was great. Really good opportunity to get to know a lot of these kids," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "Being able to watch some of the tools that they bring to the table — it was fun."
 Drew Gilbert, Luisangel Acuña and Jett Williams take batting practice during Mets spring training.
Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
The roster moves were predictable and planned. The prospects will head to Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse when the season begins while the big league club, promising to be "competitive," takes aim at a playoff spot.
How long will it be before this next wave of Mets youngsters is seen in Queens?
It likely would mean the Mets were out of the playoff race, but it wouldn't be outlandish to see this lineup — or something like it — in September:
C: Francisco Alvarez
1B: Mark Vientos
2B: Acuña
SS: Francisco Lindor
3B: Brett Baty
LF: Brandon Nimmo
CF: Williams
RF: Gilbert
DH: Joey Votto (sorry sorry, that's going too far, probably Starling Marte)
Rotation: Kodai Senga, Jose Quintana, David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Vasil, Scott
How would you feel about that, Mets fans?
Tales of their demise have been exaggerated The United States women's national team, the team they love to hate, staged a bounce-back statement performance Sunday night in the W Gold Cup quarterfinals, beating Colombia, 3-0.
The result comes six days after a 2-0 loss to Mexico in the final group-stage match that dealt another blow to the program's status as a world-class juggernaut.
The Colombia match was a chippy affair, and it showcased the USWNT's efforts to incorporate a new generation of talent before incoming head coach Emma Hayes takes over at this summer's Olympics.
 The United States celebrates after a goal by Jenna Nighswonger (3) in their W Gold Cup quarterfinal victory.
AP
The highlight: The goal by 19-year-old Jaedyn Shaw, her fifth in eight appearances with the USWNT, assisted by 21-year-old Trinity Rodman.
Jenna Nighswonger, the 23-year-old left back with a day job for the NWSL's Gotham FC, delivered a sweet strike on the second goal. Korbin Albert (20) and Sam Coffey (25) swarmed the midfield.
There were contributions from the old guard, too, as goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher made two outstanding first-half saves and striker Alex Morgan turned in a stalwart shift.
Perhaps the biggest development of the day came in England, where top U.S. talent Catarina Macario played her first game in 641 days, following a prolonged recovery from an ACL injury, and promptly scored a goal for Chelsea.
The USWNT faces Canada on Wednesday in the semifinals; Mexico and Brazil meet in the other semi.
What we're reading 👀 ⚾ Juan Soto continues to put on a show at Yankees spring training.
⚾ The Post's Joel Sherman looks at how a contingent of Mets veterans have been — or have become — so durable.
🏒 The Rangers rewarded backup goalie Jonathan Quick with a one-year contract extension.
🏉 The Post's Mark Cannizzaro was captivated by the spectacle of the National Rugby League doubleheader in Las Vegas.
😢 Chris Mortensen, ESPN's longtime NFL insider, died at the age of 72.
🏎 Another twist in the F1 sexting scandal: Could Max Verstappen quit Red Bull?
🏒 PWHL New York lost in front of a season-best crowd at UBS Arena, falling to last place in the standings.
🎾 In the inaugural glitzy, made-for-TV Netflix Slam, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Rafael Nadal.
🥎 Upset alert! Oklahoma softball's 71-game winning streak was snapped.
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